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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: can · stand · prune · content · ground · present · pitcher · bass

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. present — there
  3. ground — crushed
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. content — happy
  6. present — a gift
  7. bass — low music
  8. content — the amount
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stand — to bear
  13. can — a tin
  14. present — the time now
  15. can — a tin
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — the earth
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pitcher — in baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com